The Bodega- from Mary

So many of you out there have generously donated to the Granada effort, so I wanted to provide an explanation of our equipment distribution system. Myra, Hubs, and Becky worked hard to lay the groundwork for this system, which has now evolved over the last few months to a full-on store!

The picture above is of our Futbol Sin Fronteras Bodega, a little store within the office that houses all of the equipment. Cleats and sneakers are arranged by size, balls are piled up in the corner, socks, shorts, and uniforms all have a home somewhere behind this thin but durable wall constructed by Chepe. Outside the Bodega there's a sign that lists the prices of each items in points. At the high end, sixteen points gets you a ball, cleats, or pair of sneakers, while the cheapest item on the list is a hair tie, just a single point. In between are socks, shorts, t-shirts, and water bottles.

Girls collect points by attending Girls' Nights and Saturday practices. They also received a point for every session at camp, so many of them have already earned their equipment! Last year Molly and I learned a hard lesson about equipment distribution, that we could never have enough for everyone, so the only fair way to choose is to come up with a system. An even truer lesson is that people are naturally more invested in something that they work for and earn. Already we have seen this new point system inspire the girls to work harder at practice, participate more consistently, and take better care of the equipment they earn.

Shipping things to Granada is difficult and extremely expensive. The cost of shipping far outweighs the worth of the items shipped, and as a result we've tried to find ways to keep an influx of equipment without disproportionately spending to get it there, because equipment is just one piece of what we are trying to do. The Spring Break Camp was a great way to bring down thousands of pounds of equipments in the checked bags of volunteers. American Airlines thankfully still offers two free checked bags on international flights, and we were able to take full advantage, transporting over 2000 lbs of cleats, balls, sneakers, uniforms, pumps, pinnies, cones, ball bags, backpacks, school supplies, medical supplies, and sportswear to Granada in the month of March. Throughout the year other volunteers will be traveling to Granada and we hope to send each of them with additional equipment as they go, so that our shipping costs become embedded in the plane ticket.

With that in mind, if anyone has equipment to donate please don't hesitate to contact us for the best way to get it to Granada. We have places to store it around the country (mostly in people's basements!) and can save it until we are able to send it with volunteers.